Ethnomethodology Essay

1. How do the authors make the case that gender is a socially created concept as opposed to an independently existing reality? â€Å"Doing gender means creating differences between girls and boys and women and men, difference that are not natural, essential, or biological,† writes Candace West and Don Zimmerman in the article. The statement implies their theory that gender equates to a difference between two sexes that is not based genitals or anything that comes naturally with being male or female. This is further emphasized by the repetition of the same concept all throughout the article. West and Zimmerman reinforce their belief of gender being a socially-created concept by citing currently existing theories and views on sex and gender plus findings from other studies that point to the fact that gender is not something that we are born with – it is something that we have to keep on â€Å"doing†. West and Zimmerman let it shine how gender is something that we need to work at by saying that, as opposed to the Western, social sciences, and role theory perspectives of gender, we can neither consider gender as something that’s ingrained in our sexual category nor view it something that we only assume depending on the situation at hand. It is a â€Å"product of social doing† and is created through our interaction with other people. 2. What did you learn about your gender behaviors? What experiences have you had that have directed you towards accomplishing gender? Through the article, I have come to know that my gender behaviors are greatly influenced by how culture â€Å"idealizes† how a man or a woman should react in given circumstances. My gender is not only judged through masculinity or femininity but also through the way I adapt to each situation handed out to me. Another thing that I learned was that in as much as my gender behaviors are influenced by cultural dictates, so is culture influenced by my gender behaviors. By conforming to what is expected of my gender, I contribute to justifying the domestic, economic, political, and interpersonal allocation of power and resources already in place. Experiences that direct me towards accomplishment of gender occur almost everyday – from simply wearing what is expected of me to saying things that is expected of someone of my own gender. 3. How could you apply these learnings in a counseling environment with clients at various developmental stages? What contributions could these ideas make to counseling? What I’ve learned from West and Zimmerman’s article can be applied in a counseling environment, especially when dealing with people like Agnes or the growing up teenagers who often get confused with their ’sexual’ and/or ‘gender’ orientation. Since a person’s biological traits do not necessarily dictate his/her gender, the ideas proposed by West and Zimmerman can be the perfect explanation as to why the confusions arise. It can also point out why society reacts the way they do with gays and lesbians – they have a pre-constructed notion of how males and females should react and are usually taken aback by anything that suggests that there are more than two sexes. The authors’ theory is the first step towards knowing how the confusion and the seemingly negative reaction can be eliminated. 4. Describe the self-regulating processes you engage in the research class? What behaviors do you observe in others that serve to maintain gender identities? In research class, we are wont to being mindful of the topics that we handle. We strive to be gender-sensitive and try, as much as possible, to conduct a research in a manner that will not be offensive for either males or females. Maintaining gender identities is something that everybody strives to do. This may be apparent in the way questioning is done in different genders. Because females are expected to be coy about topics like sexual relationships, these are not normally asked straightforward of them. Also, since society has constructed man as a natural leader, the male members of the class are more often than not appointed leader or looked upon as knowledgeable. 5. In what ways do West and Zimmerman contribute to â€Å"theory making†? Describe their theory in your own words? How is it useful? West and Zimmerman themselves outlined in their paper, â€Å"Our purpose in this article is to propose an ethnomethodologically informed, and therefore distinctively sociological, understanding of gender as a routine, methodical, and recurring accomplishment.† In saying so, they themselves admit that, with their article, they are trying to add to the already existing body of knowledge on gender. With â€Å"Doing Gender†, West and Zimmerman contribute to theory making by inferring their own findings on what gender really is. For West and Zimmerman, gender is something that one has to continuously work on. It is not a given aspect of a person nor is it something that, once learned, is already ingrained in you. In fact, the two believes that gender is a continuing process and one has to keep on working at conforming to ‘roles’ associated with his/her gender. They also believe that â€Å"doing gender† is an inevitable part of life and that to actually change how â€Å"doing gender† solidifies gender roles, overhaul of societal beliefs is needed. West and Zimmerman’s theory is, in my opinion, useful in that it can help us achieve a unified definition of gender. This, in turn, may result to a better understanding of how the concept of gender is created by the societal undercurrents. 6. Discuss what makes West and Zimmerman’s article research? Describe their methodology. Give an example of an application of this methodology in counseling or counselor education. Merriam-Webster.com defines research as a â€Å"studious inquiry or examination†¦ aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws†. â€Å"Doing Gender† approached its conclusion with the use of a method (studious inquiry). The authors had a particular aim at conducting the study (aimed at interpreting facts), and that was to come up with a more informed understanding of gender (revision of accepted theories or law). Studious inquiry, aimed at interpreting facts, revision of accepted theories or law – all these have been successfully met West and Zimmerman’s article; hence, it can actually be considered a research. West and Zimmerman approached their comprehension of gender by compiling existing point of views and studies on gender. Those that actually contradict their theory were properly explained as to why they cannot be taken for truth and those that are in support of their theory were properly explained.   This is what George Psatahs called â€Å"The organization of practical actions and practical reasoning†, a variety of ethnomethodology (â€Å"Ethnomethodology†, 2007). Said method is aimed at looking at ways people construct the meanings and interpretations of the world and everything in it. Since counseling entails knowing why a person thinks the way s/he does, ethnomethodology can be very useful in conducting it. With a deeper understanding of how people view the world, more informed answers can be delivered in a counseling session.